Imajica by Clive Barker
"Imajica" is a fantasy novel by Clive Barker that revolves around a grand quest to reunite Earth with its four companion Dominions, collectively referred to as the Imajica. The narrative centers on a pivotal event known as the Reconciliation, which occurs only once every two hundred years and holds the potential to heal the fractured realms. The protagonist, Gentle, who is the Reconciler and a son of the dominant deity known as the Unbeheld, embarks on this transformative journey with his former lover, Judith, and his shape-shifting companion, Pie oh Pah.
As Gentle navigates the Four Dominions, he uncovers his own magical abilities, confronts his past, and faces challenges posed by his dark twin, Sartori. Judith also plays a significant role, discovering her own magical lineage and becoming embroiled in the overarching conflict against the Unbeheld, who seeks to annihilate all life. The quest culminates in the successful completion of the Reconciliation, leading to the destruction of the Unbeheld and the birth of a renewed world. Themes of love, identity, and the struggle against oppressive forces weave together in this rich tapestry of interconnected lives and destinies, ultimately offering hope for a better future within the Imajica.
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Subject Terms
Imajica
First published: 1991
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—evolutionary fantasy
Time of work: The 1990s
Locale: England, New York City, and the Four Dominions
The Plot
The epic quest to reunite Earth with its four companion Dominions provides the story line for Clive Barker’s Imajica. The Four Dominions, which are already united, Earth, and the mysterious space between these worlds compose the Imajica. The Reconciliation, a ceremony that can be performed only once every two hundred years, will provide the power to reunite Earth and the Dominions and to heal the Imajica. As the story of the quest unfolds, the evil nature of the Unbeheld (the strongest god in the Dominions), the true pasts of the main characters, and the nature of the Imajica itself are revealed. The quest succeeds, and after the Reconciliation a new order rises out of the old to create a better world for all the inhabitants of the Imajica.
The quest begins in twentieth century England when Gentle, the Reconciler of the Dominions and son of the Unbeheld, is hired to save his former lover, Judith Odell, from an assassin, Pie oh Pah. Gentle saves Judith and discovers that Pie has the ability to change shape at will. A memory loss following the last attempted Reconciliation leaves Gentle unaware that Pie was once his servant. Gentle nevertheless feels drawn to Pie and the two become lovers, eventually marrying later in the novel. Their relationship and Gentle’s desire to understand his past, along with his wish to explore the Imajica, lead them to venture into the Four Dominions.
During the journey through the Dominions, Gentle recovers his memory with the help of Pie, discovers that he possesses great magical abilities, frees two Goddesses imprisoned by the Unbeheld, and meets another who had hidden from the evil deity. Gentle loses Pie to the mysterious First Dominion when the two of them voyage to its border. The main threat to Gentle’s quest is posed by Sartori, his magically created twin, whose attempts to disrupt the Reconciliation ceremony end in failure.
Separated from Gentle and Pie, Judith finds her own way to the Dominions through a series of magical experiments that also bring her into contact with Celestine, Gentle’s mother. Judith discovers that she too is a twin, magically created by Gentle so that he and another wizard might share the same woman. During her adventures in the Four Dominions and back on Earth, Judith becomes involved with Sartori, a brief affair that results in her pregnancy. Judith also plays an important role in Gentle’s quest as she frees Celestine and discovers that the Unbeheld plans to eliminate all life in the Imajica in order to destroy the Goddesses.
After completing the Reconciliation, Gentle, Judith, and the Goddesses unite to destroy the Unbeheld. Gentle then travels to the First Dominion and gives it new life by helping the healing waters of the Goddesses eliminate the decaying corpse of the Unbeheld. As a reward, Gentle and Pie are reunited. They journey to Nisi Nirvana, a paradise that had been hidden under the body of the Unbeheld. Judith goes to dwell with the Goddesses and plans to rear her son by Sartori to live in the new world of hope created by the Reconciliation.